Tugboats

We've all seen them from afar, but how do they work, what do they do and
who runs them? This mammoth book gives readers a rare, close-up look of working
tugboats around the world. Huge color spreads that fold out a full 27 inches
show the boats at work. In-depth text explains the complex maneuvering systems,
techniques and the technology tugs employ.

From the port of New York to the Mississippi River, from Hong Kong Harbor
to the Panama Canal, these indispensable hard workers quietly control the
harbors and rivers of the world. The detailed history walks readers through
the development of these beautiful creations of woodwork and engineering
from the first makeshift tug to today's rugged powerhouse models.

Interviews with working captains and profiles of legendary sea dogs depict
the colorful and often difficult lives of tugboat crew--daily routines that
differ substantially from most of our own as they work in tight quarters
under the constant threat of dangerous water conditions.

The book describes how, through an intricate choreography of movements, a
fleet of tugs navigates massive ships and tankers into narrow waterways,
around perilous shallows and into tight docking bays. Their world is a delicate
balance of nautical engineering, brute motor force and coordination among
vessels that can often mean the difference between safety and disaster.

From the Inside Flap
You've seen them from afar, but how do they work, what do they do
and who runs them? Tugs offers a rare, close-up look at working tugboats
around the world. From the Puget Sound to the Hudson River, from Hong Kong
Harbor to the Panama Canal, these hard worker quietly control the ports and
rivers of the world. They are fascinating workhorses, packing up to 10,000
horsepower into a compact, efficient hull, and they're capable of moving
ships and barges thousands of times their weight. Tugs takes you to the world's
most important waterways to reveal the behind-the-scenes maneuvers that make
these boats indispensable, and traces their remarkable development throughout
history from the first steam tug to the rugged, agile powerhouses that work
the seas today.

You will see how tugs, through an intricate choreography of movements, navigate
massive ships, tankers and barges into incredibly narrow waterways, through
the elaborate locks of busy canals, around perilous shallows and into tight
docking bays. The rigors of the tugboat world demand a delicate balance of
nautical engineering, brute motor force and coordination among vessels. Any
misstep can mean the difference between safe passage and disaster.

Few realize the wide variety of tasks tugboats are called upon to perform.
Tugs features boats managing hazardous oil spills, extinguishing blazes at
sea, constructing colossal oil rigs miles from shore and plowing through
thick layers of arctic ice. They save beached ships in dramatic and often
daring rescues that take them into dangerous waters and through obstacle
courses of sandbars and rocks.

Modern tug boats employ the most advanced technology available to control
the different engines on board, enhancing their maneuverability and allowing
them to pull in any direction: forward, backwards or sideways. Even with
the aid of computers, a tugboat captain must keep a vigilant eye on the elements.
Unpredictable weather, massive waves, powerful currents and dangerous terrain
are hurdles even the most experienced captains must carefully consider. One
wrong signal and a tug can easily be pulled over, capsized if the tow line
is not cut fast enough or run around.

From the story of the first tug (whose maiden voyage was also her last),
to today's powerful, state-of-the-art tractor tugboats. Tugs explores the
fascinating stories, mechanics and lore of the world's hardest-working boats.

From the Back Cover Whether pulling barges on the Mississippi River, docking ships in
Hong Kong Harbor, setting up oil rigs in the Arctic or fighting fires in
Vancouver, tugs are without a doubt the world's hardest working boats.

Bollard pull is a measure of a tug's potential towing power under certain
conditions. Usually given in pound or ton units, it describes the amount
of engine power that is directed to the towline's pull.

At the time of its construction in 1825, the Erie Canal connecting Lake Erie
and the Hudson River was the largest canal in the world. Vessels traveling
through the 363-mile-long, 40-foot-wide canal were towed by horses and mules
from towpaths along the bank.High Seas, High Risk : The Story of the Sudburys
by Pat Wastell Norris.

This book tells the story of the Island Tug & Barge Co's two big salvage
tugs, both named "Sudbury". Island Tug & Barge is now history. Its greatest
years were the fifties and sixties. The big tugs were initially acquired
for the towage of ships to the scrapyards, which was a thriving business
in those years. The entered also in deepsea salvage work where both tugs
earned their fame. The book tells about the tugs and, of wrecks, of ferocious
storms, of tugs riding out typhoon weather the tow still attached. And of
the crewmembers of course. The book is a very good read, also to the
non-initiated in the business of deep sea salvage. It also has a number of
photographs accompanying the text. It is good that this piece of marine history
has been published. Reviewer:
Job van Eijk from The Netherlands

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